


Reaching Out as I Look Above

by Kairi_Ruka



Series: Sk8 the Infinity [1]
Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anxiety, Comfort No Hurt, Gen, M/M, Not Beta Read, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:20:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29849718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairi_Ruka/pseuds/Kairi_Ruka
Summary: They had been sitting side by side in every class since the school started, by some miracle. They were always attached whenever the school set up a social study tour outside the city. Hell, they even managed to get a room next to each other when they all had to move to the dorm in their third year, even though the rooms were assigned at random.It seemed as if the universe didn't want to keep them apart.
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe & Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Series: Sk8 the Infinity [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2206083
Comments: 2
Kudos: 119





	Reaching Out as I Look Above

**Author's Note:**

> All characters belong to Studio Bones and I gain no profit from this. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Despite everything they argued over, Kaoru and Kojiro would always end up together. This is a fact that everyone knew, even after they saw how easily those two hurl insults at each other. Meaningless insults, mind you. 

They had been sitting side by side in every class since the school started, by some miracle. They were always attached whenever the school set up a social study tour outside the city. Hell, they even managed to get a room next to each other when they all had to move to the dorm in their third year, even though the rooms were assigned at random. 

It seemed as if the universe didn't want to keep them apart. 

So naturally, no one batted an eyelash when Kojiro took a seat right beside Kaoru in the bus. The school, pretentious as it was, set up a three nights and two days trip to an onsen. No one complained, though. 

Kaoru regarded his friend with a side-eye. "What, can't get a place with the popular kids?" he said, kicking lightly on Kojiro's ankle. Kojiro rolled his eyes and kicked back. 

"And leave you moping alone by the window with your ridiculous hair acts as a curtain? Of course not," Kojiro shot back, then burst out laughing when Kaoru glared at him and defended his hair, even as his fingers combed his hair into something less atrocious. 

Despite their constant arguing, they shared some candy all the way from school to their destination. Sometimes the candy was thrown around, but in the end they were still passing the sugary things over and over. 

Again, no one thought that that was out of the ordinary, neither did the bus driver, but considering that he had been driving highschool students back and forth for decades, that was not surprising. 

No one reacted as much as when Kojiro had to physically restrain Kaoru from lunging at a staff that offered to show him the 'right way to the women's bath'. Kojiro explained to the staff that, no, Kaoru is a boy, he was just too pretty and laughed when his childhood friend made a move to strangle his neck for the comment. The poor staff looked confused and scurried away quickly after apologizing. Their classmates didn't even notice. Or, well, they did, but they all knew it was best to just ignore the two. 

Everyone noticed that even though they were fighting (mock-fighting?) earlier, Kaoru didn't stay away too far from Kojiro when they got into the water. The snarky comments were still flowing out from their mouths, but the less than five feet of distance between them contrasted their words. No one commented though, they knew it was useless to say anything. Besides, as long as Kaoru and Kojiro only annoy each other, no one minded the free show. 

No one batted an eyelash when the time for sleep came and Kojiro took the sleeping mat right next to Kaoru's. Mostly because there was no eyelash to bat, as their classmates were already asleep. The view from the window was obscured by darkness as the moon was covered by clouds. The chaperone teacher pointed out that it might rain the next day. 

But it wasn't why Kaoru couldn't sleep. He could care less about rain, but he wasn't tucked in his usual bed and everything felt wrong, even the ceiling. It made his anxiety go through the roof. He laid on his back, ramrod straight and tense as random thoughts raced in his mind. He went through their activity schedule for the next day four times, making sure he remembered them all in the right order as his fingers twitched every once in a while. 

He was going through the deadlines of assignments he hadn't yet to do, arranging a mental schedule on which one he should do first when they got back, when a light touch on his wrist made his tense body flinch. He turned his head and his eyes met Kojiro's sleepy ones. 

Kojiro's fingers tapped a rhythm against Kaoru's wrist, the small, steady movement slowly calmed his nerves down. 

"Try to get some sleep," Kojiro said with a lot of sleepiness and a little bit of concern. 

Kaoru shifted a little so he was halfway facing his friend. "Can't," he said sincerely. "You know I can't … in a place like this." 

Kojiro's eyes fluttered shut for a second before he forced himself to open them. "Then just close your eyes, steady your breathing. Just rest. You'll need that energy tomorrow." 

"Especially if I'm gonna have to put up with you," Kaoru said with a nod, smiling sweetly when Kojiro's sleepy eyes sharpened for a second to glare at him. He was glad that Kojiro didn't pull his hand back, though. 

"More like I'm gonna have to put up with your pretentious taste of basically everything," Kojiro retorted, his tongue slipped on a few words. 

"Try saying 'pretentious' correctly first, you idiot," Kaoru said without any heat. 

"I'm too tired to think of an insult, so you're an idiot too. There," Kojiro replied with his eyes shut, his words even more slurred than before. "Is this helping, though?" he asked, fingers now circling Kaoru's wrist and tapping against the skin above Kaoru's pulse. 

Kaoru hummed softly. It was helping, to know there was someone else near him, someone so familiar that one day without him felt wrong, someone safe. His thoughts are still bothering him. He suspected that they would never stop. But for the time being, they were slightly muted and his nerves slightly less frayed. 

"You do," he said in earnest. 

Kojiro's mouth twitched in a ghost of a grin as he nodded before his eyelids fluttered shut and his breathing went slower. 

"That's good," he murmured his last words -- which sounded rather morbid because Kojiro was not dead. He was just sleeping. 

Kaoru didn't want to be accused of being a creep if he kept watching his best friend while he was sleeping, so he closed his eyes too. Even then, he could still picture all of Kojiro's features. 

"It is," he whispered back and while he knew he wouldn't get a blink of a real sleep, he felt peaceful.

**Author's Note:**

> A character I love is confirmed to have anxiety? Of course I would project my own anxiety to them! 
> 
> No for real tho I'm very happy. Kaoru in the outside is an almost perfect person with perfect appearance (I don't accept any argument) so when they confirmed that he has anxiety that often prevents him from sleeping it's like I finally can relate to him, my favorite character.


End file.
